My first memories of becoming politically aware were in early high school when Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Mo. I was in ninth grade, and it was one of the first events that began shaping my understanding of American social issues and politics.
I quickly became interested in learning about feminist issues as well. I read a lot about the inequalities minorities faced in America. Most of my knowledge stemmed from Tumblr, YouTube and Twitter, and it was something I grew very passionate about. I remember being known as “that feminist girl” in high school by a few people and arguing with male friends about sexism and misogyny.
I did not become fully entrenched in politics until my senior year of high school when President Donald Trump started his campaign. I remember hearing some of his first racist statements about Mexicans and realized he was a bad person unfit to run this country. Then he got elected. I was angry, sad and scared. But I still lived in a predominantly white, wealthy Republican town where political involvement was not really an option.
I came to college in the fall of 2017, just over half a year after Trump entered office. That is when I began this column. It was a way for me to channel all of my feelings about the Trump administration into writing while also staying up to date on America’s political happenings.
Between this column, my political science minor and my activism on campus through different clubs, I became fully immersed and educated on American politics. I spent the next four years of college analyzing, criticizing and demanding change from the Trump administration on a variety of topics: human rights, climate change, economic equality, health care and whatever else I felt was wrong.
This column is a manifestation of my political beliefs and my way of standing up against an administration that tried to discredit the things I strongly believe in, such as my reproductive rights and the importance of reversing climate change.
Then, we learned Saturday that this four-year nightmare is coming to a close. We will finally have decent, qualified people in the White House who believe in things such as science, health care access for everyone and basic human rights.
I sobbed when I heard the news. So much was on the line for many marginalized Americans and the general future of our country. Yet, our democracy continues to be threatened as Trump refuses to acknowledge the outcome of the election, and other political figures have fallen in line behind him. In a terrifying move, Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday the country will transition smoothly into the second term of Trump’s presidency.
The world is congratulating President-elect Joe Biden on his win, yet the current administration is acting like a toddler who refuses to acknowledge they lost. This is not only embarrassing, but truly terrifying.
No other president has completely disregarded the framework of our democracy — they all had the basic human decency to admit their loss. The only person who would want to stay in power after obvious defeat is a fascist dictator.
I do not think Trump will succeed in his attempts to destroy our democratic values and step all over the Constitution, but I do see this as even more of a reason to celebrate Biden’s win. It is of utmost importance that the man who is trying to destroy everything America was built on is permanently removed from the White House.
When Biden takes office, we still have a lot of work to do. The state of our country will not be automatically fixed because he is president. It is an excellent start though.
I am not done writing articles critical of our government, so this column will not end with the Trump presidency. There will never be a time when there is nothing to fix, so I will always have something to write about. I do see Trump leaving office as a closing of a chapter though, and I feel hopeful about the future of this country for the first time in four years.
